Jane Austen's Girls
by Nephthys18
Summary: Teenage girls, Emma and Lizzy, search for love in modern America.
1. Chapter 1

Jane Austen's Girls

_Hey everyone! Okay, so this is my first attempt at writing a story. I don't exactly know what I am doing, so any comment, ideas, or constructive criticism is welcomed. I know it does not look like it in the first few chapters, but I am basing my characters and stories off of Jane Austen's Emma and Pride and Prejudice, with a small dash of Sense and Sensibility. Anyways, I hope you like it! _

Lizzy Bennet was in the bathroom at school when the warning bell rang. "Damn it!" she muttered running a brush through her impossibly large head of hair. Lizzy was used to being late to school, but that didn't mean she still wasn't bothered by it. Lizzy hated being late to anything, especially something as important as school, but, unfortunately, she had to share her car with her twin sister, Jane. Jane was always late to everything and it drove Lizzy nuts. Pretty much every morning Lizzy was dragging her out of the house so that they had a small chance of being on time. How Jane got anything done was beyond her.

Jane Bennet couldn't have been more different than her sister. She was quiet and nice to everybody. Lizzy, on the other hand, was quite loud and a little bit too cynical for her own good. Jane was the perfect student, always answering questions in class and turning in her homework on time. Lizzy could usually be found doing her homework the period before it was due. That didn't mean she wasn't a good student. True she didn't get straight A's like Jane, but she never got anything lower than a B on her report card.

Lizzy grumbled as she looked at her frizzy brown hair. That was another thing that was different between Jane and Lizzy. Jane had beautiful golden blonde hair that looked good no matter what. Lizzy's hair was brown and never seemed to want to behave. Jane was petit and had the palest skin you could ever imagine, where as Lizzy was taller and quite a bit curvier than her sister. Even their eyes were different. Jane's eyes were a brilliant blue; Lizzy's were usually green but had the tendency to change colors depending on what she was wearing.

The tardy bell rang causing Lizzy to curse. She quickly threw her hair up into a pony tail and grabbed her bag off of the floor. She was about to leave when the door burst open, revealing three girls, two of them giggling, one of them not.

"Lizzy!" one of the giggling girls exclaimed. "Late as usual I see." Lizzy bit her lip to keep from saying some not very nice things.

"Hello Lydia" she replied putting on a smile. Ugh! Lydia had to be one of the most irritating people Lizzy knew. She was a relentless gossip and seemed to get it into her head that she and Lizzy were "great friends". Lydia was anything but a beauty. She was chubby and had stringy black hair. Her nose was rather large and her eyes were a dull brown. Her constant companion, Kitty, on the other hand was very cute (though Lydia would never let her know it). Kitty was a bubbly blonde, with bright blue eyes. She was always smiling and the only reason she didn't always have boys hanging all over her was, Lizzy suspected, because of Lydia.

"Why aren't you in class Lydia?" Lizzy asked. Lydia nodded over at the other girl.

"Just showing the new girl around" she said. Lizzy looked at the girl. She was frowning at Lydia and was obviously not enjoying herself. She was very pretty, with long brown hair and light brown eyes. She was thin and her face, though at the moment fixed in a glare, seemed pleasant.

"Hi, I'm Lizzy Bennet." Lizzy said, immediately feeling sorry for the girl. The girl smiled and held out her hand.

"Emma Woodhouse," she said as Lizzy shook her hand. Lizzy smiled back and decided to rescue Emma from Lydia and Kitty.

"Hey Emma, do you want to do me a huge favor?" she asked. Emma looked at her quizzically and Lizzy winked.

"uhhh sure" she said still looking puzzled.

"Well, I am late to Mr. Burns class so why don't you come with me and we'll just say that I was showing you around, ok?" Emma smiled and nodded realization coming over her face.

Lydia frowned, "But…."

"Thank a lot Lydia and Kitty, it was nice to meet you both," Emma replied hastily following Lizzy out of the bathroom. The two girls walked down the hall quickly and turned the corner. "Thank you sooooooo much!" Emma exclaimed. "Lydia has to be one of the most difficult people I have ever met".

Lizzy laughed. "I know! I figured you needed rescuing". Emma laughed.

"My hero!" she exclaimed sarcastically.

Lizzy chuckled. "Well I'm not gonna lie, I really need a good excuse for Mr. Burns. One more tardy, and I get detention."

Emma grinned. "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

The two girls reached Mr. Burns door, and Lizzy prepared herself for her usual verbal beating. "Ok, you don't have to say anything I'll just…" Lizzy began but Emma had already walked through the door.

"This is Mr. Burns class right?" she asked. Mr. Burns, who had been writing on the chalkboard turned and looked at the two girls.

"Yes," he said glaring at Lizzy. "Lizzy Bennet…." He began, his voice rising.

"Yes, I ran into Lizzy in the hallway a few minutes ago and she helped me find my locker and stuff." Emma smoothly interrupted. Mr. Burns closed his mouth and nodded.

"You must be Emma Woodhouse," he said looking down at his attendance sheet. Emma smiled and nodded. He sighed. He had been looking forward to giving Lizzy detention. "Take a seat," he said and turned back to the chalkboard to resume his lesson. Emma winked at Lizzy and they walked to the back of the room.

"Oh my God, I love you" Lizzy said. Emma grinned and plopped down into a seat. Lizzy decided right then and there that they were going to be the best of friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"So where did you move here from?" Lizzy asked Emma as they walked into the lunchroom.

"Beverley Hills," Emma replied, looking around for a good place to sit. The room was filled with unfamiliar faces but Emma would not be intimidated. Still she was very glad that she had found Lizzy.

"Let's sit over there," Emma said, pointing at the table of what she assumed were the popular girls. The girls didn't look very nice, but Emma wanted to make a good first impression.

Lizzy wrinkled her nose. "Gross!" she said. "Those girls are all bitches. Come on, my tables over here". Emma couldn't help being a little relieved. Did she really want to be involved with pretty much the same group of people she had just escaped from? 'No', she decided, 'not this time'.

Lizzy lead the way across the cafeteria to her table. "The cafeteria is so damned crowded!" she exclaimed as a group of freshman cut her off. "I can't wait until spring."

"Why's that?" Emma asked.

"Well when it's warm we can eat outside. It was so nice at the beginning of the year, but now that it's November…brrr!"

Emma laughed. "Yeah, it's diffidently been a shock. I'm not really used to this cold weather."

Lizzy smiled. "You'll get used to it."

Finally, they reached the table. The people sitting at it all looked very nice, and Emma recognized a few people from some of her classes. "Hey everyone!" Lizzy said. She was greeted with a chorus of heys as she slipped onto the bench. "This is Emma. She just moved here from Beverly Hills," she added smiling at Emma.

Emma looked at the group of people who were staring at her, took a breath, and smiled. "Hey everyone, I hope you don't mind if I sit here," she said.

A pretty red headed girl smiled up at her and patted the seat next to her with her hand. "Plop a squat," she said. Emma thanked her and sat down. "I'm Marianne," the redhead continued. "And this is Elinor." A blonde girl on the other side of Marianne smiled and waved.

"Nice to meet you, Emma," Elinor said. Emma opened her mouth to respond but Lizzy cut her off.

"Jane!" she called, waving at a small blonde girl. She girl waved back and made her way over to the table.

"Hey everyone," she said as she slid onto the bench next to Lizzy.

"Jane, I want you to meet Emma. She just moved here from Beverley Hills," Lizzy said nodding her head at Emma. Emma smiled, but inside wondered if she was always going to be introduced as Emma from Beverley Hills.

Jane smiled, "Yes, we already met. We have English together."

Lizzy smiled and turned towards Emma. "I bet you'd never guess it, but Jane is my twin sister." Emma could truthfully say that she would've never guessed it but before she could respond Lizzy was pointing out more people to her.

"See that boy down there?" she said, pointing at a tall brown haired boy at the end of the table. Emma nodded. "That is Elton. He's kind of an ass, but we still like him." Elton frowned and threw a french-fry at Lizzy. Lizzy ducked, giggling.

"Oh and see that boy over there. The one with the glasses who's just sitting down?" Lizzy continued. Emma nodded. "That's Brandon."

"Ugh! Is he still sitting with us?" Marianne exclaimed.

"Marianne!" Elinor yelled slapping her on the arm.

Marianne shrugged. "I'm just kidding," she replied rubbing her arm and glaring at Elinor. Elinor looked like she didn't believe what Marianne said, but kept quiet to keep the peace.

"And that boy next to him," Lizzy continued in a loud voice, "is Frank."

Emma looked down the table. A cute blonde boy nodded at her and smiled. He had the biggest smile she had ever seen and huge, friendly brown eyes. She immediately liked him. "He seems nice," she said smiling at Frank.

"Oh yeah, he's a sweetheart" Lizzy replied.

"Speaking of sweethearts," Marianne interrupted, nudging Elinor with her elbow, "here comes Eddie." Elinor turned bright red as a tall, brown haired boy walked over to the table.

"Hello ladies," Eddie said sitting down next to Jane.

"Hey Eddie," Marianne replied smiling at Elinor. Elinor glared at Marianne and turned an even darker shade of red.

"Eddie, have you met Emma?" Elinor asked, stepping on Marianne's foot underneath the table.

"Yup!" Eddie said nodding at Emma. "Emma and I have math together, which reminds me. Lizzy! You are one lucky girl. You should've heard Mr. Burns when the bell rang and you weren't there. I thought he was finally gonna have a heart attack."

Lizzy laughed. "Yeah, I have Emma to thank for that one."

Emma shook her head. "No, I should be thanking you!" she exclaimed. Eddie looked at her questioningly. "She saved me from Lydia this morning." Eddie laughed.

"Well, it's been great seeing you all, but I've got to go find Mrs. Hutchins about making up a test. I'll see you guys later." Emma caught him glance over at Elinor before he walked away.

"So Elinor," she said as soon as he was out of earshot. "What's the deal with you and Eddie?" Elinor, whose cheeks were only now returning to their normal color, blushed red again.

"Nothing. We're just friends," she said looking down at the table. Marianne snorted and Lizzy burst out laughing.

Emma grinned. There was nothing she loved more than matchmaking. Eddie and Elinor would be easy. They both obviously liked each other. She was sure she could get them together by Christmas.

Jane looked from Marianne and Elinor and could sense a fight beginning between the two. Not one for confrontation, Jane quickly changed the subject. "So you're from Beverly Hills?" she asked Emma. Emma took the hint and nodded.

"Yes, Papa was a doctor in L.A. for a long time. My older sister, Bella, still lives out there, and Papa had the most difficult time leaving her. But he was so depressed after his last divorce that he decided to retire and move out to the country. He thinks the fresh air will do us both some good."

Jane looked shocked. "Oh Emma, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know that your parents were divorced."

Emma laughed. "No, my mother died a long time ago. She was just my step mom, and believe me, we're much better off without her."

Jane smiled at her sympathetically. "Well still, the divorce must have been hard on your father."

Emma rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. I don't think he ever really loved her anyways. In fact, I think the only reason he married her in the first place was because he liked her son so much. As soon as Knightley transferred to UVA the marriage went downhill."

"Your brother goes to UVA?" Lizzy asked, trying to keep Jane from commenting on the divorce again.

Emma laughed. "I wouldn't call Knightley my brother, but yes. He's going to graduate school there. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the main reason Papa chose to move to this particular area was to keep a relationship with him."

Lizzy was about to respond when the bell rang, dismissing them from lunch. Groaning, everyone got up to leave. Emma whipped her schedule out of her pocket and looked at it. Lizzy looked over her shoulder. "Does anybody have Ms. Bates next?" she called out.

"I do," Elton said, walking over to Emma. "Come on, I'll show you where to go". Emma nodded, said goodbye to Lizzy, and began to follow Elton when Lizzy grabbed her arm.

"Are you doing anything after school today?" she asked.

Emma thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so," she said.

"Well, I was gonna go visit my friend, Carla, after school. She works at a coffee shop downtown and I really want you to meet her."

Emma smiled. "Yeah ok, cool," she replied.

"Great! I'll meet you at your locker after school," Lizzy said walking out of the cafeteria. Emma couldn't believe her luck. Her first day and she already had a group of friends.

Elton grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her along the hallway. "Come on!" he said, grinning at her. Emma smiled and followed him to the classroom.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I never realized how hard it was to keep writing! I am so horrible and finishing stories, but I'm going to really try with this one. Anyways, this was a chapter that kind of had to be written to introduce more characters. I know everyone is probably dying to meet Darcy and Knightley and all them and I promise they are coming up soon, just not in this chapter. Well, I hope you like it._

Emma leaned against her locker and flipped open her cell phone. 4:00. She had been waiting there for over 10 minutes now. Where could Lizzy possibly be? Maybe she had heard wrong. Maybe Lizzy had meant they were going to visit her friend tomorrow. No, Emma was pretty sure she had said today after school.

Emma was starting to get anxious and was about to leave, when a voice hailed her from across the hall. She looked up to see a very frazzled looking Lizzy hurrying over to her.

"Sorry!" Lizzy exclaimed. "I had to finish a lab in biology." Emma felt a wave of relief wash over her, and assured Lizzy that it was ok.

Lizzy fumbled with the zipper on her coat and lead Emma over to where her car was parked. "Did you drive to school?" she asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, Papa didn't want to take my car with us to Virginia. He promised he'd get me a new one, we just haven't had time yet."

Lizzy nodded and pointed over to her red, 1965 Buick Skylark. "Okay, I'll drive. We just have to drop Jane off at home and then we'll be on our way."

Jane was waiting at the car, jumping up and down. "Lizzy! Hurry up and unlock the doors, I'm freezing!" she cried. Her face was rosy with windburn and her hair was flying all over the place. Lizzy laughed and pulled her keys out of her purse.

"Shot gun!" Emma cried as the doors unlocked.

"Darn." Jane muttered as she crawled into the back seat.

It took about five seconds for the three girls to scramble into the car. "Jesus H. Christ!" Lizzy cried. "It's freaking cold!" Lizzy turned the heat on full blast and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, well at least you weren't standing out there for 10 minutes!" Jane exclaimed. Lizzy just stuck her tongue out at her and put her ipod on shuffle.

Emma was still shuddering. "And I thought winter was cold in L.A. How do you guys stand it here?"

"Eh, you get used to it. Plus winter clothes are really cute." Lizzy replied.

Jane rolled her eyes at her sister and turned to talk to Emma. "Yeah, Virginia must be a big shock for you. How do you like it so far?"

"Well, it's definitely different than L.A., a lot smaller. But it's really pretty here, and everyone's been really nice." She smiled at her two new friends. Thank God she had run into Lizzy in the bathroom. She didn't know what she would've done without her.

Lizzy pulled up to a stoplight and turned to look at Jane. "I'm assuming you aren't coming with us?" she asked.

Jane sighed. "I wish I could, but I have so much homework."

Lizzy shrugged her shoulders and turned left into their neighborhood. "That's what you get for taking 5 A.P.s".

Jane sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. She had certainly taken on a load this year. She didn't want to admit it, but she may have taken more than she could handle. She bent down and began to gather up her books as Lizzy pulled into their driveway. "Well, have fun," she said as she got out of the car.

"Bye!" Emma called after her. Jane waved and was about to open the door when it flew open.

"Shit!" Lizzy cried. She pulled out of the driveway as fast as she could, but it was too late. Her mother had already seen her and was running down the driveway after her. Lizzy groaned and put the car into park.

Mrs. Bennett had been an attractive woman, about twenty years ago. Unfortunately, she still felt the need to dress like she was 18 and was constantly trying to "be hip". Lizzy sighed. At least it was winter and she couldn't wear anything too horrible. She changed her mind as she saw the enormous pair of hairy, green ugg boots she had on her feet. Mrs. Bennett bustled over to the car knocked on the window. Lizzy rolled down the window, dreading the lecture she knew was coming.

"Lizzy! Please tell me you aren't going to hang out with Carla again. I mean, she's a nice girl, but I really don't think she's the best influence on you. She didn't even go to college! And," Mrs. Bennett paused as she caught sight of Emma. "Oh hello."

Emma smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Emma Woodhouse. I just moved here from Beverly Hills. Lizzy was just going to show me around if that's ok."

Mrs. Bennett beamed down at her and shook her hand vigorously. "Of course! Did you say Beverly Hills? Yes, there are only the classiest people there," she replied. Lizzy cringed. Of course her mom loved Emma. She was pretty, social, and dressed like a prep. She just hoped that she wouldn't scare her away.

Lizzy tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, directing her mother's attention to herself. Mrs. Bennett frowned at Lizzy. "Lizzy! Why didn't you tell me you had a friend with you?" she scolded. Lizzy opened her mouth to respond, but Mrs. Bennett had already turned back to Emma. "It's so nice to see Lizzy hanging out with people her own age. I mean she has friends at school, but she rarely brings anyone over, although I don't know why. She spends half her time at that coffee shop and the other half doing God knows what."

Lizzy rolled her eyes. She knew her mom could go on forever so she cut in. "Sorry Mom but, we have to get going so…"

Mrs. Bennett nodded and smiled at Emma again. "Oh yes, don't let me keep you girls. Have fun!" Lizzy waved and sped off down the street.

"I am so sorry about her. She's just, ugh!" biting her lip she turned to see Emma's reaction. There was a reason she never invited friends over, and her mom had been her usual embarrassing self.

Emma was grinning, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "No, she seems really sweet," she replied. Lizzy relaxed a little bit and nodded. They drove in silence for a few minutes listening to the music playing. "Loved the boots," Emma finally said, trying desperately to keep a straight face. Lizzy groaned and Emma burst out laughing.

A few minutes later they pulled up to the coffee shop. It was an older building, not as high tech as lets say Starbucks, but it had a homey feel and some really good coffee. Lizzy spent half of her weekdays sitting in the huge puffy chairs and chatting with her friend.

Carla had been a senior when Lizzy was a freshman and they had really hit if off while doing the winter play together. After that they were friends for life. Carla graduated that year and decided not to go to college. Her Aunt Jo owned the local coffee shop and had given Carla the job of assistant manager, which suited Carla's free spirited living just fine. Carla was never a very ambitious person but she respected Lizzy's work ethic and would often times help her study for upcoming tests. Lizzy was always a little sad when she thought about what Carla had done with her life. She was so smart, but had never wanted to put forth the effort to become more than what she was. Oh well, if Carla was happy than Lizzy wasn't going to judge.

The bell on the door tinkled as they entered the shop. The glorious smell of fresh coffee washed over Lizzy as she looked around for Carla. Carla was busy with a customer, but she smiled and waved when she saw Lizzy.

"Aww, this place is so cute!" Emma exclaimed.

"Yeah, I come here all the time after school to study and stuff," Lizzy replied. She spotted an empty table and lead Emma over to it. They were joined half a minute later by Carla.

"Hey Lizzy," she said smiling. "The usual?"

Lizzy grinned and nodded. "What else would I get?" Carla scribbled on her notepad and turned to look at Emma. "Oh! This is my new friend Emma. She just moved here." Lizzy added.

Carla smiled. "Nice to meet you, Emma. Welcome to _Cup of Jo_, what can I get for you?" she asked. Emma looked up at the menu hanging on the wall.

"Ummm, I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I guess I'll try one of your strawberry smoothies," she replied after a moment. Carla nodded and scribbled it down onto her notepad.

"Okay great, I'll be right back with your orders," she said as she walked away. Emma watched her thoughtfully for a second. She wasn't exactly a beauty, but she was cute. She was extremely tall and thin; and had jet black hair and light brown eyes. She was wearing a black t shirt and jeans that were covered in paint and holes.

"Is she an artist?" Emma asked.

Lizzy laughed and shrugged. "She was last week. She kind of gets these random urges to try stuff. Like last month she decided she was going to start a band. She gave that up pretty quick when she discovered that she couldn't play and instrument."

Emma laughed. "Wow, I wish I could do that."

Lizzy shrugged. "Well, she doesn't really care about money and that kind of stuff, so I guess she has the freedom to do whatever she wants."

A few minutes later Carla returned with their orders. She handed them their drinks and sank down into an empty chair. "I think Steve can handle things for a moment. What's up?"

Lizzy sipped her coffee for a second. "Eh, not much. Play tryouts are tomorrow, so I'm a little nervous."

Carla rolled her eyes. "Please! Lizzy, you have gotten big parts in every play you've ever tried out for. You have nothing to worry about."

Lizzy shrugged. "Well, you never know. There are a lot of really good people trying out this year."

"What's the play going to be?" Emma asked in a desperate attempt to get into the conversation. She felt really out of place here. She knew nothing about theater and Lizzy and Carla were obviously drama buffs.

"Guys and Dolls," Lizzy replied smiling over at Emma. Emma nodded and pretended to know what that was.

"So Emma, where are you from?" Carla asked, taking a sip out of Lizzy's cup.

"Beverly Hills," Emma replied.

"Wow. Are people there really as stuck up as they seem on tv?" Carla asked.

Emma looked confused for a second. "No, I thought everyone was really nice." Carla raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "Well, I mean, yes, some people were stuck up, but there are stuck up people everywhere. I'd say there was the same amount there as anywhere else."

"Cool," she said. Emma looked down at her drink and stirred her straw around. She could feel Carla's eyes on her and suddenly wished she wasn't wearing her pink polo.

"Where's the restroom?" she asked. Lizzy pointed over at the door and Emma walked there as quickly as possible. She had always hated people like Carla. She felt like they were constantly judging her and she wanted to get away for a moment to collect herself.

As soon as Emma walked through the door Carla turned to look at Lizzy. "Are you serious?" she asked. Lizzy sighed. She had hoped this wouldn't happen. Carla was a fun girl, but she could be so damn judgmental.

"Aww come on, she's not that bad. I mean yeah sure, she's not exactly like who I normally hang out with, but she's really sweet," she said hopefully.

Carla laughed. "Yeah, she seems like a real sweetheart. I dunno, I mean you know I don't judge, she just seems like such a….prep."

Lizzy sighed. "I know. I just….like her. I don't know why, but there's just something about her that I just….like," she finished lamely.

Carla threw up her hands. "Hey, if you like her, I like her."

Lizzy smiled and squeezed her arm. "Thanks Carla," she said. Carla blushed, stood up, and began picking up the dirty cups on the table.

Emma returned a few minutes later. "Hey, sorry I took so long," she said as she watched Carla wipe down the table.

"Oh no problem," Carla replied, smiling at her. "I just have to get back to work. You guys can hang out or whatever, but I have stuff to do."

Lizzy nodded and stood up. "Actually, we should probably get going. Mr. Burns gave us a ton of homework, as usual."

Emma reached down for her purse and waved goodbye to Carla. "It was really nice to meet you, Carla."

Carla grinned, "You too. Come by any time." Emma nodded and Lizzy smiled to herself. Carla might judge quickly, but she was also quick to change her opinion.

As soon as they got back to the car, Emma grabbed Lizzy's ipod and began looking through the songs. "Hmmm, what shall we listen to?" Lizzy cringed. She hated when people messed with her ipod. "Carla seems really nice," Emma continued. Lizzy nodded and turned to look at the girl sitting next to her.

Emma was definitely not like the girls she usually hung out with. Her hair had obviously been curled that morning and her eyes were covered in makeup. Well, not exactly covered. They weren't as bad as most of the girls' at schools were at any rate. She was wearing a polo and pearls and her nails were freshly manicured. Lizzy wondered why she ever even talked to this girl. Emma looked exactly like the type of girl she was supposed to hate. No wonder Carla was confused.

Lizzy watched as Emma finally decided on a song. The Veronicas' "Forever" blasted out of the stereo. Lizzy laughed. Oh well, at least they liked the same music.


End file.
